Upfront Making progress Chair of the BPA board Nigel Williams takes the front spot to talk about the evolution of parking systems, technology and data Fifty years ago, when I was a teenager, paying for parking involved handing coins to someone in a hut at the car park entrance. Weve come a long way! When our Association began, parking technology was rare and generally unreliable. I remember the inauguration of the Arndale Centre in Poole, and the crowd cheering when the mayors car got stuck at a malfunctioning barrier as he tried to exit the multi-storey car park. Fast forward to the present day. Payment is easier, increasingly cashless, and we see more and more car parks without barriers. Ever more sophisticated apps allow drivers to find, reserve and pay for a space, seamlessly. In-car information and navigation systems are starting to include such functionality. Take-up of these digital services remains relatively low, however, as the available data is limited and fragmented. To date, local authorities and other operators lack coherent strategies to provide that data. Parking services in sustainable, smart cities (and towns) will soon be expected to supply real-time digital information to inform parking and transport decisions before, and during, any journey. To help minimise congestion and emissions, parking information and payment systems must integrate with wider intelligent transport systems to inform travellers of their options and facilitate sustainable multi-modal travel. For this to happen, the different systems will need to talk to each other and exchange data. Our Associations work with the Alliance for Parking Data Standards and the Department for Transport, on the TRO Discovery Project, is helping facilitate this. Most car parks still allow cash payment, although offering this option is often troublesome and expensive for operators. Most councils have experienced theft of or from their payment machines, affecting income and the overall appeal of their car parks. We recently commissioned our Associations first major study into public perceptions of parking. Through this and other sources, we know that the public values safety and location over price when choosing parking, despite media hype about the need for free parking, . The importance of effective parking management is increasingly recognised by government and other key stakeholders. We are working with them to create a smarter, safer,more accessible transport network, with parking and kerbside management at its core. As I write this piece, we are all dealing with the biggest challenge we have faced in our lifetimes. The parking community is ready to play its part as best we can. Many of us are adopting technology and new ways of working. When this crisis is over, we will look back on this time as the moment we all started to do things differently. In this, our 50th year, we are ready for the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. In the meantime, please stay safe look after yourselves and your loved ones. Our team of exceptional advisors all have a firm friendly and helpful approach to collection, and are accredited to WAMITAB Level 3 NVQ 3 * BPA chief executive Andrew Pester talks about how the Association is responding to the Covid-19 situation on page 7. To find out more about our services, call us now on 01932 918090 We are working to create a smarter, cleaner, safer and more accessible transport network Nigel Williams A fresh approach to notice processing and debt recovery from an award-winning business We engage with your customers to ensure we get results Dedicated to being the best in the market for: - Customer satisfaction - Notice processing - Debt collection - Compliance Or visit www.zzps.co.uk Chair of the board, British Parking Association info@britishparking.co.uk britishparking.co.uk 3 PN Apr20 pp02-03 Upfront.indd 3 24/03/2020 11:43